9-Volt and Phoebe's Dream Adventure
by WarioMan3K
Summary: DCC #3 of my fanfic series. One night in Diamond City, 9-Volt was asleep at his house, dreaming about a girl named Phoebe. She invites him to a place she lives in, called Video Game Dream. All video games from any company in the real world - regardless of whatever system(s) they're for - that are good, are welcome there for its denizens to play.
1. Prologue

After about a month's break from posting any fanfics here, I thought it's time I got back to work - now that Spring Break is here. **Oh, and as a side note for those who are new to reading my Diamond City Chronicles fanfic series, I recommend against reading any further until after you've read through the following two fics in chronological order: The Alien Wars, and WarioMan 64. Then you can start reading the DCC series, beginning with Super Contra World.**

* * *

-9-Volt and Phoebe's Dream Adventure-

Prologue

9-VOLT'S P.O.V.

Whew! I'm really glad that nightmare's over...Real glad that Wario destroyed the evil Contra Terror gang at the airport. But anyhoo, I kinda wanted to tell you guys something you never really saw in any of the _WarioWare_ games, let alone my microgame stage(s).

You see, ever since I turned 5, I occasionally dreamed about being friends with a girl about a year or two older than me - not to mention a little taller than me, but still. All I'd ever known beyond her name being Phoebe was that she, like me and 18-Volt, was a fan of Nintendo games. But what differentiated her from either of us, was that she can bowl really good (and in a pretty dress!), and even play a piano. Wow! Well, I never did know for real she was also good at bowling, besides video games, until after I told her that Mona taught me how to bowl (which was back when I was 6, about to start first grade). While Phoebe admitted that she needed some practice now and then, she was more than happy to give me all the helpful tips she knew about bowling. Other times, she'd teach me how to play a piano, or even help me at any video game I'm stuck on - as long as it's the one she either owns or knows of...or both.

Speaking of video games, I'm glad I took her advice and got rid of my Virtual Boy sometime after _WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgame$_ became a big hit in Diamond City. She sure wasn't kidding when she said the red screen on the Virtual Boy could cause an eye strain after prolonged play...and thank goodness it didn't happen to me!

Oh yeah! I almost forgot: Phoebe sensed that I'm no ordinary child. I dunno why, but she did assure me that when the time comes, we just might discover the truth on my family history together...

END P.O.V.

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**DISCLAIMER: WarioWare Inc. is a property of Nintendo. Any other characters from different franchises (although some, if not all, aren't directly involved with this story's plot at hand) are properties of their respective owners. For example, while I own my fan characters, Arctic Bomber and Blaze Bomber, Hudson Soft (and yes, Konami) still owns Bomberman. Any songs "used" for the following situation(s) at hand belong to Nintendo, Konami, Capcom, etc.**


	2. Nighttime at 9-Volt's bedroom

Tonight in this chapter, 9-Volt is about to come across the young friend of his dreams (or, so he's known thus far) with a surprise at hand. Oh, and by the way, I've had second thoughts on what I named this story. I'll admit: I never really bothered with watching _Little Nemo's Adventures in Slumberland_, let alone find my courage to do so (though I did come across _Little Nemo: The Dream Master_ on NES once or twice back when I was a kid). In other words, I've decided to change the dream adventure story to something a little more fitting for both 9-Volt and the girl he often dreamed about.

**DISCLAIMER: WarioWare Inc. is a property of Nintendo. Any other characters from different franchises (although some, if not all, aren't directly involved with this story's plot at hand) are properties of their respective owners. For example, while I own my fan characters, Arctic Bomber and Blaze Bomber, Hudson Soft (and yes, Konami) still owns Bomberman. Any songs "used" for the following situation(s) at hand belong to Nintendo, Konami, Capcom, etc.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Nighttime at 9-Volt's bedroom

June 13, 20XX...

With Diamond City and Dinosaur Land safe from further mayhem, all seemed well. Red Falcon is stuck with his weakened appearance of a giant one-eyed brain; Crasher and Blaster of the "Contra Terror" gang are dead; people had gotten back to their daily lives. Ever since that one nightmarish incident at the Diamond City International Airport, the citizens tried their best to forget it, and be thankful that Wario had destroyed the space pirates on their behalf - and his friends'. Despite his petty grudge against Mario, he was said to have done some good on occasions, aside from keeping his WarioWare business booming (especially with the recently-released _WarioWare: Smooth Moves_).

Then came the evening. 9-Volt, the young Nintendo wiz of WarioWare, had spent some time playing video games with 18-Volt, Kat, and Ana. That is, until his mother (5-Volt) came into his room and told him that it's past his bedtime. Upon hearing this, Kat and Ana just remembered that they're supposed to be back at Diamond Dojo with their sensei by now. As they bid 9-Volt good night, 18-Volt followed suit by waving goodbye to him. Right after they left, the boy took off his helmet and went into the bathroom to wash up, change into his pajamas, and brush his teeth. He returned to his room with a yawn, and climbed onto his bed just under the sheets.

"Mom," asked 9-Volt, "do you really think the nightmare's over, even if it's been 3 days?"

5-Volt smiled warmly at her only son in response. "Of course, sweetie. Aaron, Ami, Bill, and Lance not only freed Blaze Bomber; they defeated Red Falcon before he could do more than disrupt their short vacation, even if Wario did stop a group of space thugs. Back when your dad was alive and on duty, he'd always say that while we have to prepare for the worst, we also need to hope for the best. Even today, the Diamond Police respected him."

"You mean, like...pray our Contra friends will defend peace and justice from evil for years to come?"

"Something like that. Now go to bed, son. It's getting late." With that, 9-Volt's mother gave a quick kiss to his forehead, and plugged in a nightlight for his room. "Good night."

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[Opening BGM: Rydia (Final Fantasy II/IV)]

Sometime around midnight, a vision of a fair young girl appeared through the window. Her short auburn hair, a bit longer than 9-Volt's, waved gently in the air, its curly backside extending down to her neck. As her feet touched the floor, her hair stopped waving. 9-Volt could tell who it was when he woke up to the sound of her footsteps: it was Phoebe, his friend from some of the dreams he had. Like him, she was human, only a little taller than him. She wore a long dress (although not puffy nor too girly like that of a classic princess's) that matched the color of her green eyes, with a Nintendo 64 logo imprinted on the chest. The first time 9-Volt saw that logo, he assumed her favorite video game system was a Nintendo 64. In fact, he was right when he asked her about it. Like with 18-Volt being his "Player 2", Phoebe was coined as his "Player 3." One time, when he asked her if she was a princess, she told him that she was simply an ordinary person just like him and his friends.

During their gaming sessions in dreamland, the twosome enjoyed playing _Mario Kart_ as well as _Mario Party_, and even _Bomberman_. Her collection of these three multiplayer franchises consisted of all Mario Kart games - that 9-Volt also had - up to _Mario Kart DS_; Mario Party 1-7, and just about every Bomberman game on the Super Nintendo, N64 (despite _Bomberman Hero_ being one player-only), and GameCube. Surprisingly to him, Phoebe had Super Bomberman 3-5, three of which were never released in North America, that he couldn't find. As for handheld games, they both had _Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!_ and _Bomberman GB_, which were compatible with the Super Game Boy accessory, along with _Bomberman DS _(aka "Bomberman", in North America and Europe). While 9-Volt was good at the Mario games, he admitted Phoebe was better than him at Bomberman. Still, she was happy to teach him to be a better Bomberman player like her.

For as long as 9-Volt could remember, it normally wasn't possible for a girl to bowl in that kind of dress (and bowling shoes) without tripping over. But the first time he saw Phoebe do so in a friendly game of bowling, he was wrong but glad nonetheless. She did not let her graceful appearance derail her from giving him helpful tips on how to be a better bowler. On the other hand, she also taught him that it's important to clean both your bowling ball and the pair of bowling shoes when you have your own, especially when not bowling; not because she's vain (which she thankfully never was), but rather because she knew how things work on the lanes.

"Hi, 9-Volt!" greeted Phoebe. "How are you?"

9-Volt, now knowing he's in a dream, sat up in his bed. "I'm okay. Just trying to forget the nightmare I've been through about 3 days ago..."

"Yeah, I heard. I'm just glad you're not harmed or anything..."

9-Volt nodded slowly. "I know, but I'm sorry I couldn't think of you that time." He lowered his head in shame momentarily.

The emerald-clad redhead hugged him warmly. "Aww, it's okay. At least you were safe with Mona and your mom. Here, let's take you over to my place before we go visit Video Game Dream."

"Ooh!" 9-Volt beamed happily. "That's where you live, right?"

"Mm-hmm," answered Phoebe. "It's a land where all the good games for any home or handheld console show up from your world, for all of its people to play when they're not so busy with their daily lives, let alone those who work hard to defend our world from evildoers. Of course, you already know it by now because I told you about it before." She paused in mid-sentence to ruffle 9-Volt's hair playfully. "So, what game do you feel like playing?"

The Nintendo boy giggled and smiled. "Bomberman, or perhaps Mario Kart, would be nice."

"Funny, I was thinking the same way. We'll go bowling afterwards, then take a walk around the kingdom. Whaddya say, P1?" Phoebe flashed her gaming pal a friendly wink.

He raised his hands cheerfully. "YAY! I'd love to, P3!" He held both hands with Phoebe, while she asked him to close his eyes. When he did as instructed, she closed her eyes, and teleported him to her residential home.

* * *

For as far as Phoebe told 9-Volt back when he was 5, it was way back in the early days of 8-bit gaming, that a benevolent king founded the kingdom across the dream world. He gave it the name "Video Game Dream", based on his personal experience of the games that existed even before the NES came to life. Since then, the video games that were released in the real world are eventually sent to the heavenly kingdom in due time, regardless of the developer and/or publisher, as well as whatever system the game was designed for. The king decreed that if the game in real life was good, then its copies would be released for the citizens of the kingdom to play. But if the game was bad - as in really bad, mostly in terms of gameplay - then it was banished instead to an underworld realm called Video Game Nightmare, for eternity.

Sometime before Phoebe was born, the king became aware of the content rating issues that came into existence in the real world, ever since _Mortal Kombat_ was released to the public audience. So therefore, he divided Video Game Dream into two halves: one that was kept as normal, and the other for M-rated games that were restricted only to those who are at least 17 or older. That way, there wouldn't be such problems like in reality; for example, kids that play those kinds of games when they're not even old enough yet, mostly due to parental irresponsibility.

[End BGM]

TO BE CONTINUED...

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That's it for the first chapter. As you've pretty much guessed already, I created Phoebe to give 9-Volt a female gaming pal who's about his age. You could say she's a WarioWare fan character, or something like that. I needed to decide her personality and formal attire carefully so I wouldn't end up making her into just a clichéd "classic princess" stereotype. As for her "character voice" in regard to having an imagination in a fanfic, I'm thinking Hynden Walch being the VA will do.


	3. Video Game Dream

9-Volt and Phoebe arrive in Video Game Dream, and are ready to begin their adventure...but not before doing a little session in _Mario Kart_, _Mario Party_, or _Bomberman_, followed by a friendly game of bowling.

**DISCLAIMER: WarioWare Inc. is a property of Nintendo. Any other characters from different franchises (although some, if not all, aren't directly involved with this story's plot at hand) are properties of their respective owners. For example, while I own my fan characters, Arctic Bomber and Blaze Bomber, Hudson Soft (and yes, Konami) still owns Bomberman. Any songs "used" for the following situation(s) at hand belong to Nintendo, Konami, Capcom, etc. And yes, even the bad video games mentioned in the fic also fall underneath the owner privileges.**

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Chapter 2: Video Game Dream

[Relaxation BGM: Dr. Light's Lab (Mega Man 8)]

Upon the arrival at Phoebe's home, 9-Volt beamed happily. "This is gonna be fun! Say, you've been keeping your room clean, haven't you? My mom always told me it's very important to keep my room clean, including my bed, whether I liked it or not. As for video games, Mona says it's important to take good care of your own video games; that way, they don't collect so much dust overtime."

"Amen to that, 9-Volt," said Phoebe. "Like I always say: a smart gamer who takes great care of his or her own video game equipment is a good gamer."

"Not to mention being able to tell the difference between a good game and a bad one, especially when it comes to...how did you put it again? Real difficulty VS fake difficulty, in terms of gameplay?"

Phoebe nodded. "Exactly! Of course, we do wind up with some of the worst home console games ever made - ones that are so bad, they can't be allowed to torment our gaming lives. A great example of that would have to be the one and only: The-Game-That-Must-Not-Be-Named."

9-Volt scratched his head with curiosity. "Which one? Mario is Missing? Or maybe Mario's Time Machine? I remember coming across them on both the NES and the Super Nintendo by accident, but only because I was naïve since they had Mario's name on them..."

"No, not those two." Then Phoebe looked down and closed her eyes in fear. "I'm talking about..._Action 52_."

"_Action 52_? I've never heard of that game..."

"Be very thankful you haven't, ever. Not only was it an unlicensed game released for the NES at an outrageous price of about $200; it was very notorious for its abysmal quality of its games. The company in your world that made this game was Active Enterprises. It was so poorly designed, badly programmed, glitchy, and just...just...downright UNPLAYABLE!" Phoebe paused in mid-sentence to calm herself with a deep breath, and pat 9-Volt's head in case he got spooked. "Before I was born, the king of Video Game Dream had to immediately banish it to Video Game Nightmare for eternity before it ever spewed out many copies of itself all over our fair kingdom! This is why he always has his royal subjects - all who have advanced gaming experience - test all the different games that come by here before the king would officially decide whether the game had the right to be released to us citizens. Well, he does allow us to volunteer to try it out if we wish, but still."

9-Volt had his mouth open, surprised that Phoebe would know something like this, when she wasn't even born at the time _Action 52_ was released to the public in the real world, and eventually banished to Video Game Nightmare in the dream world. "Phoebe...I...I mean...how'd you know all this?"

"I do know, because the king...is my father."

9-Volt gasped in awe. "Wait, you mean that...you're really a princess?"

"Mm-hmm. My dress should have given it away, even though I don't wear a crown. While I am the princess, I don't exactly live in the castle. The idea that a classic princess is typically a damsel-in-distress, and often awaits rescue from her 'Prince Charming' or a 'Knight in Shining Armor', just wasn't suited for me. I think I've told you this before, but playing with girly stuff, much less dolls, bores me. Plus, if there's a certain role model I wanna be like when I grow up, it's Chun-Li from _Street Fighter_. I never could get her Lightning Kick move right, anyhow..."

"Yeah, you told me that one time. You're more into video games and bowling. I'm okay at _Street Fighter_, just not real great."

Phoebe shrugged it off. "Me neither, but at least we're still good at something. Anyway, as I was saying, I begged my father one time to let me live as a normal girl. In fact, I kinda wanted to pass myself off as a different person, so that's why I kept my title a secret from you."

"Oh, okay," nodded 9-Volt. "Now I see why your place is actually a house like mine."

"Yup," said Phoebe. "He agreed, but only on one condition: that it be built right next to the castle so he doesn't worry about me all the time."

"Your house also had a four-lane, Nintendo-themed bowling alley in the basement," added 9-Volt, recalling what Phoebe had shown him a few years back, "complete with bowling balls that came in a variety of colors! Traditionally big but not too heavy, good and clean like nature, and not girly, as you'd say. Sometimes, you'd also invite your friends over to bowl with us. Either way, I remember always helping you tidy everything up after we're done, and boy, am I glad to know that not all princesses are girly and vain, much less spoiled. Oh wait, there's Princess Daisy from the Mario games, but I'm just saying."

Phoebe blushed. "Aww...I would never be vain nor spoiled in a million years." She took a moment to plant an affectionate kiss on 9-Volt's cheek. "Besides, I'm not afraid to get dirty if necessary to keep it clean, but you already knew that by now. You're a smart person, and well-behaved to boot."

"Aw, you too, Phoebe. Now that I think about it, it's pretty ironic that both of us behave maturely like adults, even though we're only kids. But one such grown-up like Mr. Wario, on the other hand, acts like a greedy, spoiled child whenever he doesn't get his way, let alone get rich."

"Heh, yeah, he should know better than to act petty towards Mario, or even refuse to pay any of you guys at WarioWare when you worked so hard on your microgames. Alrighty, so without further ado..."

Then the two gaming pals blurted excitedly at once: "LET'S BOWL!"

[End BGM]

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[Party BGM: Challenge! (Mario Party 8)]

With that, they playfully raced to the ten-pin bowling alley downstairs, humming the Battle mode theme song from _Bomberman DS_ along the way. It didn't matter who reached the alley in the basement first; the kids cheered for each other as they turned on the lights and put on their bowling shoes. They started bowling right after they typed in their names on a computer scoreboard. Recalling from what Mona told him - during his first meeting with Kat and Ana when Wario founded WarioWare Inc. - about what a gentleman should do even if the woman was not his girlfriend, 9-Volt politely allowed Phoebe to go first.

"Go get 'em, Phoebe!" 9-Volt cheered, as his gaming pal picked up a minty-green bowling ball and stepped up to the lane. With a graceful throw, she bowled a strike.

"YAY!" she beamed, giving 9-Volt a high-five. "Your turn, 9-Volt! Remember, we're only bowling for fun."

"I know, don't worry. Here I go!" He went and picked up a yellow bowling ball that matched the color of his helmet's. But just before he took his turn, a swarm of zombies popped out of nowhere in the place of the pins!

[Interrupt BGM]  
[Alert BGM: Bowser Time! (Mario Party DS)]

"AAAH!" he screamed, dropping the ball in front of him. "Wh-what's going on?"

Phoebe came to his aid and grabbed the ball just before it rolled past the foul line. "It's a zombie attack. They're only a group of different, demonic manifestations of all the bad video games that were banished to Video Game Nightmare. These kinds of invasions are normally very rare, much less in a bowling alley, but somehow, the numbers have increased within the past 3 days."

9-Volt gasped. "What? So does this mean we're doomed? I'm scared, Phoebe!"

"Don't worry, 9-Volt," assured Phoebe, "I won't let them near you. Since these zombies are easily destructible, we can take them down side-by-side."

"Okay. That's good. But, are we gonna have to cancel our playtime because of that?"

"I'm afraid so. We'll need to report to my father to see what we can do. But we're in this together, so don't be scared, okay? I promise." The redhead turned to speak out against the zombies, giving 9-Volt an impression to be brave as long as he's with her. "Hey, uglies! Get your rotting carcasses out of my private bowling alley, or we'll bowl them off!"

The manifestations cackled in rebuttal, claiming Phoebe to be a helpless damsel-in-distress trying to act tough. It quickly became their undoing, as she and 9-Volt rolled a barrage of bowling balls across all lanes, knocking them over so hard their remains became squished into dust. Then the kids flexed their muscles in victory, and high-fived each other.

[End BGM]

"You were right when you said not to be scared," said 9-Volt, having turned his fearful expression into a triumphant smile. "We actually did it as a team!"

"Yep," agreed Phoebe. "Now that's using the power of hard, big and round plastic to fight evil!" She and 9-Volt hugged each other affectionately.

Right after clearing the bowling alley of all undead trash, they spent some time cleaning the lanes and their bowling shoes, and re-stacking the bowling balls onto the returner before cleaning and polishing them. Once the task was finished, they put on their casual footwear and scurried outside the house towards the king's castle, intent on finding out the cause of the skyrocketing attacks in the past 3 days. In fact, they just might also discover 9-Volt's family history as they intended some time ago.

TO BE CONTINUED...

* * *

9-Volt and Phoebe's playtime may have been cut short, but their adventure has only just begun!


	4. A legendary tale

A quick word before I begin: I'm supposed to have finished the rest of this story before the end of the weekend, but I did however get a little distracted by _Paper Mario: Sticker Star_ on 3DS. I spent a few nights earlier this week finishing the game, intent on doing what I should've done a couple months ago on my downtime. I can't promise that I will finish whatever fic I'm currently dealing with as quickly as possible, but like before, I will do what I can, even if it's not going to be super-long like certain other stories I've read before. Better to take some time than rush it, anyway. But personally, though, I kinda liked the first two Paper Mario titles the best...

**DISCLAIMER: WarioWare Inc. is a property of Nintendo, whereas Final Fantasy belongs to Square-Enix. Any other characters from different franchises (although some, if not all, aren't directly involved with this story's plot at hand) are properties of their respective owners. For example, while I own my fan characters, Arctic Bomber and Blaze Bomber, Hudson Soft (and yes, Konami) still owns Bomberman. Any songs "used" for the following situation(s) at hand belong to Nintendo, Konami, Capcom, etc. And yes, even the bad video games mentioned in the fic also fall underneath the owner privileges.**

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Chapter 3: A legendary tale

With the surprise attack averted, 9-Volt and Phoebe made their way into the palace to visit the king himself, hoping he had an answer to the current situation at hand. Along the way, 9-Volt became more curious as to why Phoebe could sense something extraordinary about his family history. He had waited long enough for this moment, and he was ready to find it out together with her.

"Father," Phoebe began, "we've just stopped a zombie attack at my house."

The king responded, "Then it's as I feared: the attacks have been increasing over the past three days...but the one silver lining is that you are both okay."

"Can you tell us what's the cause of all this?" asked 9-Volt.

"A disturbance in Video Game Nightmare," said the king. "Someone, or something, is plotting to conquer our fair kingdom with evil manifestations of all the bad video games we have banished over the years. I fear if they set two of the worst video games of all time free, then all will be lost...Yes, I am talking about _Action 52_, and _Bomberman: Act Zero_. Forgive me if I sound like a coward, but I could not stand to see what Act Zero did to the Bomberman franchise last year. I had to rely on my own daughter to banish it to the underworld, whom I am certain you know is a respected fan of said franchise."

"I've never heard of it," said 9-Volt. "What system was it on?"

"The X-Box 360, young 9-Volt. Even the owners thought it to be the worst, seeing how it looked absolutely nothing like the Bomberman we know and love. But, it wasn't just its appearance..."

Phoebe joined in, "While it took place in a dark, dingy, post-apocalyptic dungeon with Master Chief-like clones milling about as the 'Bombermen', its single player campaign was tedious. 99 levels with the same thing, 1 life, no continues nor passwords. You die once, boom - back to square one. Then there's another big mistake: no local multiplayer! I hated it, and had to banish it so you wouldn't have to suffer, 9-Volt. I did what I could to protect you."

9-Volt smiled. "Thanks, Phoebe. I guess I'm better off not knowing about it. Oh yeah, and we were just wondering, Your Highness: do you happen to know anything about...I dunno, my family history? Phoebe says I'm not an ordinary child."

"As a matter of fact, young boy, I believe I do. Have you heard the story of a legendary summoner from Mist, on the distant Blue Planet, who grew up as an adult and aided her close friends in defeating the source of evil that was plaguing their world? This happened long before the arrival of Red Falcon."

"Yeah...but my mom said it was a fairy tale, like it's all from a video game."

"I'm afraid that's no mere tale, 9-Volt. The ultimate evil that wanted to conquer the planet was Zeromus, the source of Zemus's hatred. Zemus was a Lunarian, but he was not satisfied with having to sleep alongside his people in an effort to await the day in which we humans would co-exist with them. Zemus wanted them to come out of the long slumber and populate the Blue Planet, even if it meant invading it with an army of monsters. In addition to such, he had mind-controls powers, which enabled to brainwash various people, including those with Lunarian blood."

9-Volt added, "And that guy, Golbez, was an easy target instead of Cecil. I've played through _Final Fantasy IV_ - oops, I mean _Final Fantasy II_, on the Super Nintendo before. You were saying?"

"Had it not been for the efforts of Cecil, Rosa, Rydia, and their close friends, it would have been too late for FuSoYa, the Lunarians' guardian, to aid them in freeing Golbez and Kain of Zemus's spell. And thus, began the final battle on the very Moon in which the Lunarians reside in. However, Cecil's group needed to find three powerful guardians of the Eidolons, a tribe of creatures brought to aid the summoners who called upon them against evil. Leviathan and Asura are the respected King and Queen of Feymarch, the land of their kind, whereas Bahamut resides on the Moon as their dragon-like god. Only the pure of heart who proves one self worthy in combat, could these three Eidolons be summoned at any time. Rydia was the first, but not without help from her allies."

9-Volt interrupted the king's speech with a question, "Wait, I hate to interrupt, but is the Moon the very same one that's on the world I live in?"

"Yes, 9-Volt. And the world you reside in is the Blue Planet - otherwise known as Earth."

"Huh?! But I thought..."

"While your world's media of today may claim both these worlds to be distant in contrast to their resemblances of the Earth and Moon we all know of, the historians - along with my people - believe them to be one and the same. The same goes for Feymarch, which actually exists somewhere in the underworld of the Earth."

_Underworld?_ thought 9-Volt. _Didn't the Four Contras fight Red Falcon there, underneath Dinosaur Land?_

"Do not be alarmed, young 9-Volt," said the king. "While time flows differently in Feymarch, it deters all evildoers...or, so the story goes since the defeat of Zeromus. The Eidolons can only be summoned for good. Red Falcon and his followers cannot take them for his very own, especially as long as Leviathan, Asura, and Bahamut live."

9-Volt scratched his head in confusion. "Okay, this is getting interesting and all, but what does that have to do with my family history?"

"What my father's trying to say," said Phoebe, "is that Rydia's descendants began a new life in America, at a place where Diamond City would eventually be built today. We can sense her power within you, which must make you a descendant."

"Now I'm really confused. Wait...my mom could only know the story she told me, despite that she never played _Final Fantasy_ before, if..."

The king added, "If she is also Rydia's descendant. She must have told you it was only a fairy tale about Rydia's home world being very distant from your own, intent on wanting you to grow up as a fine, ordinary young man with no burden to bear."

* * *

[Interlude BGM: Theme of Nebula (Mega Man Battle Network 5: Double Team DS)]

Just then, a sinister chuckle rang out, causing 9-Volt, Phoebe, and the king to gasp in surprise. _So...our research wasn't really for naught after all. You really are Rydia's descendant, aren't you...9-Volt? Yes, you do know why we suddenly appeared in your nightmares over the weeks before your fat friend, Wario, killed us._

The voices revealed themselves as Crasher and Blaster's spirits. Thought to have been blown up along with the Contra Terror gang, the terrorists suddenly lived on as evil spirits. "Well, here's the spoiler," said Crasher, "my brother and I are actually the last pieces of Zemus's hatred: as in, what's left of Zeromus. Though we perished in battle, we barely managed to form these bodies standing before you many years later, and formed the Contra Terror gang with a group of space pirates who attempted to raid the Red Planet, or as you would call it: Mars. We promised them a lot of money, so they'd never suspect our real intentions. Of course, one of our followers got arrested one time, which led us into infiltrating your Diamond City until the time was right, but...you get the picture."

"And now that the deception's out of the bag," said Blaster, "the time has come! You, the descendant of Rydia along with your mother, are about to meet your utmost death by our hands! No offense, kiddo, but your so-called boss killed us in that one big explosion! So now, we're taking it out on you. Yes, you and your friends have seen us like this before, but those aren't our real bodies, oh no..."

"That doesn't make any sense!" 9-Volt cried. "Mr. Wario already destroyed you! You two should be dead by now..."

"Poor little brat. You want to see our real selves?" Crasher paused in mid-sentence to grab the king by the neck. "You'll have to come to Video Game Nightmare and stop us! But that's if you and your new girlfriend can get there alive."

"Reincarnations of Zeromus or not," shouted Phoebe, "we'll stop you from spreading evil across the real world!"

[End BGM]

Crasher and Blaster wasted no time teleporting out with the kidnapped king, but not before turning all of Video Game Dream's people to stone. Back inside the palace, 9-Volt held his head in fear and sadness.

"Phoebe...?" he asked, glancing at Phoebe's face.

[Comfort BGM: Rydia (Final Fantasy IV)]

"What is it, sweetie?" The princess tilted her head a bit.

"I'm not sure if I wanna know anymore of my family history. I think I just wanna live on as an ordinary person, who loves video games. Maybe my mom was right to pass it off as a fairy tale from an RPG..."

Phoebe hugged him warmly. "I understand you're too young to know all this. Maybe someday, when we're both older, you can harness Rydia's summon magic." Then she kissed his cheek. "C'mon, let's get to the cave on the outskirts of my kingdom. It's the only entrance to Video Game Nightmare."

9-Volt put aside his fears and nodded, "Okay...but who's gonna help us? What if we alone are no match?"

"9-Volt, remember: it's your dream. You can think up anything that can aid us in our adventure."

Focusing on his mind, 9-Volt summoned two of his favorite _Bomberman_ characters, whom he actually knows in real life: Cheerful White, and Cute Pink. Then he focused on bringing Kat and Ana, the ninja twins, into the dream world. Together, they would end this chaotic charade that Crasher and Blaster had in store, and return peace to both Video Game Dream and planet Earth. If they can pull it off, Zeromus will finally be out of existence for good, and 9-Volt free from confused issues, concerning the secretive truth of his family history.

[End BGM]

TO BE CONTINUED...

* * *

Sorry if this was a bit rushed at first glance. I wanted to get the fanfic about 9-Volt out of the way so I can return to focusing on the Four Contras themselves for the remainder of the Diamond City Chronicles series (for the most part). If the part about 9-Volt being Rydia's descendant confused you, I'll understand. I will try and clear things up in a summarized conclusion at the end of DCC #3 if I can. I merely wanted to add something of interest to him so he's not all useless as a potential freedom fighter (alongside Phoebe, Kat, Ana, Cheerful White, and Cute Pink).


	5. Video Game Nightmare

With the truth about 9-Volt's family being descended from Rydia out, 9-Volt and his friends take it to the underworld to stop Crasher and Blaster once and for all, so that Zeromus may never again exist to terrorize the Earth. While it may not indirectly stop Red Falcon from rebuilding his alien army in the real world, destroying the last pieces of Zemus's hatred would make one less dangerous threat to worry about...

**DISCLAIMER: WarioWare Inc. is a property of Nintendo, whereas Final Fantasy belongs to Square-Enix. Any other characters from different franchises (although some, if not all, aren't directly involved with this story's plot at hand) are properties of their respective owners. For example, while I own my fan characters, Arctic Bomber and Blaze Bomber, Hudson Soft (and yes, Konami) still owns Bomberman. Any songs "used" for the following situation(s) at hand belong to Nintendo, Konami, Capcom, etc. And yes, even the bad video games mentioned in the fic also fall underneath the owner privileges.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Video Game Nightmare

[Stage BGM: Bob-omb Battlefield (Super Mario 64)]

"You're actually descended from WHO?" Ana began, as the six potential freedom fighters made their way to the forbidden cavern.

9-Volt tried to answer at his best, "I know, I know, it's a very long story, and ridiculously hard to swallow. But I'm actually descended from Rydia, the green-haired girl who's a summoner from Mist!"

"We know who she is," said Kat. "Our sensei told us the story he knew too; only he's descended from Edge. But, even he didn't know you'd be a descendant of Rydia."

"How come? I mean, he can sense someone's power if he's a ninja master, right?"

"Yeah, but I think your mom never told him her side of the story..." said Ana.

9-Volt continued, "I guess so. Wait, he's descended from Edge? Does that make him my...my long-lost uncle?"

Kat and Ana shook their heads no. "No no no, not that, 9-Volt," explained Ana. "You're not related to him. Edge and Rydia never got married, like Cecil and Rosa did."

"Really?" 9-Volt scratched his head in surprise. "I thought for sure they might have done that sometime after the ending in the RPG I played through, but then again, it never showed anything else about Cecil and Rosa's marriage except that Kain chose not to attend it..."

Cheerful White stopped the conversation for a moment to add some words of his own. "Wait a minute, Kat and Ana. So if your sensei's descended from Edge, wouldn't he be sharing Edge's cocky attitude?"

Kat shook her head no. "No, he doesn't - thank goodness."

"Oh. That's a relief...kind of." Then White noticed something approaching. "Uh-oh! We've got company!"

"What are those things?!" asked Cute Pink.

With little time to explain, 9-Volt and his friends went to work and took out the evil manifestations (imps, goblins, ogres, etc.) of the bad video games, mostly those that represented the three "CD-i Zelda" games that failed dismally in real life. Later, the Bomber-kids and the ninja kindergartners learned from 9-Volt and Phoebe about the existence of Video Game Nightmare and the bad video games being banished to there, mostly due to poor gameplay and shoddy programming to boot. Upon hearing about _Bomberman: Act Zero_, however, White and Pink cringed.

"Ooh..." White began. "Good thing you banished it, Phoebe. I hated _that_ game! The guys in there looked completely nothing like me and my friends at all!"

"I know, right?" Pink agreed.

[End BGM]

* * *

[Fight BGM: Devil's Revival - Midboss Theme (Castlevania the Adventure ReBirth)]

Later, the young heroes arrived at the forbidden cavern, and took a Warp Pipe to Video Game Nightmare. Once they arrived, however, they were interrupted by two booming voices.

_Aww, you're no fun!_ Crasher's voice rang out. _But, I suppose you got bored after what you've just been through, didn't you?_

_Crasher's right_, came Blaster's voice. _A battle with little to no challenge is boring as hell, so we've decided to up the ante a little...in spades! Let's see how well you fare against your worst nightmares based on those bad video games you've had to play!_

"We're not bored at all!" Pink shouted. "Just merely energetic from our adventure, that's all!"

Phoebe then called out to 9-Volt, "Let's think of something that can help us beat back the likes of _Action 52_ and _Bomberman: Act Zero_. This time, I'm doing it with you."

"Right, Phoebe!" 9-Volt responded. "Here we go!"

The humanoid, albeit demonic, manifestations of the two bad games were summoned into existence. But 9-Volt and Phoebe were ready for it. They focused on their minds, eventually bringing forth an NES Zapper into 9-Volt's hands, and an enchanted, minty-colored bowling ball into Phoebe's hands.

"Cool!" 9-Volt beamed. "The original gray NES Zapper like the one I have in real life!"

The two Nintendo fans didn't care about naming their own attacks, but they attacked the enemies anyway. The "Act Zero" robots marched in an attack formation, planting spherical energy "bio bombs" around the battlefield. Cheerful White and Cute Pink dodged the explosions, and countered with their bombs - solid, yet spherical and cartoony. Then the "Act Zero" robots held out their energy bombs in a suicide attempt to take out the intruders. While Kat and Ana held off the pixilated creeps of _Action 52_, 9-Volt backed them up by firing a few shots from his NES Zapper at the monsters. He stood back-to-back with Phoebe, as she did her part by throwing her energy bowling ball straight down the field, toppling the enemy soldiers over and exploding in a burst of energy. This set off a chain of bomb explosions that killed the manifestations instantly.

"How do you like us now?" cheered White.

_Graaaaaargh! _Crasher sneered. _You're only a bunch of children! You were supposed to be helpless, not formidable like Wario and his grown-up friends!_

_We'll not be thought of as a joke,_ yelled Blaster, _for we mean business! __Time to bring out the heavy artillery we can muster at the moment!_

[End BGM]  
[Boss BGM: Final Battle - Boss Theme (Castlevania the Adventure ReBirth)]

In their rage, Crasher and Blaster summoned a large box-like attack ship with three rocket thrusters on its back. Phoebe instantly recognized it as the "boss" ship from one of Action 52's "games" (Star Evil), as it flew with sheer force at her friends. They were quick to jump out of the way, but suddenly, they got slammed towards the wall by...nothing?!

"OW!" cried 9-Volt. "What gives?!"

Ana rubbed her head in pain, "And what hit us...?"

_Oh...did we forget to mention this ship attacks with the one thing you of all gamers absolutely despise in any video_ _game? _Crasher paused to cackle deviously. _Take a wild guess!_

"I think I know what hurt us..." said Phoebe, "the power of bad hit detection."

"What's a bad hit detection?" asked 9-Volt, his first time hearing about it.

"Believe me, 9-Volt...you don't want to know what it feels like in any game. A collision detection that's poorly implemented makes it unfair."

_Unfair? Bah! The power of our attack ship's Erratic Hit Detection Ram knows no bounds! You're the ones who are being unfair for spoiling our fun! Well, Wario was the first, but...daaagh! Just die already!_

"We're not dying anytime soon!" shouted Cheerful White. "I've felt worse!"

The "Star Evil" craft flew around once more, readying its Erratic Hit Detection Ram for the kill. 9-Volt quickly imagined himself and his friends wearing X-ray goggles. Instantly, they were each given a pair of X-ray goggles to wear, which revealed the secret of the enemy ship's main attack: the erratically-placed, disembodied, invisible metal blocks with rocket jets. Next, 9-Volt imagined himself and his friends with an ability to super-jump, which also came true. They jumped high and out of harm's way, and performed a synchronized hip drop simultaneously...but not without bruising themselves in the rear in the process.

"YEOWCH!" The kids screamed altogether as they smashed the ship down to the ground so hard it ruptured the power core inside, thus blowing it to nothing but a big pile of scrap metal. The heroes, on the other hand, were unharmed from the explosion thanks to Phoebe having cast Protect ahead of time.

[End BGM]

* * *

"Ow, ow, ow..." winced 9-Volt, rubbing his sore bottom in pain.

Ana grimaced, "I dunno how Mario and Luigi do that without hurting their own butts...ow, my tushie..."

"I second that..." croaked Kat.

"We'll live..." said Phoebe, despite her wincing. "We just gotta keep moving."

"Do you think we're closer to where the king of Video Game Dream is being held prisoner...?" asked Pink, with a gruff tone of voice from the pain.

"Maybe we are getting closer..." said White, "but anyway, remind us to bring in some Metal Boxes from _Super Mario 64_ next time, so our butts don't bruise easily from doing any hip drops...ow..."

And henceforth, the pint-sized heroes moved on, this time taking it slow in order to walk off the bruising pain. By the time they arrive at Crasher and Blaster's lair, they'd feel better and well-prepared for one more battle.

TO BE CONTINUED...

* * *

The dream adventure is getting closer to the conclusion, but 9-Volt and his friends aren't out of the nightmare yet.


	6. Vanquishing the horrible nightmare

The final battle against Crasher and Blaster begins, for they obviously don't intend on dying again without a fight.

**DISCLAIMER: WarioWare Inc. is a property of Nintendo, whereas Final Fantasy belongs to Square-Enix. Any other characters from different franchises (although some, if not all, aren't directly involved with this story's plot at hand) are properties of their respective owners. For example, while I own my fan characters, Arctic Bomber and Blaze Bomber, Hudson Soft (and yes, Konami) still owns Bomberman. Any songs "used" for the following situation(s) at hand belong to Nintendo, Konami, Capcom, etc. And yes, even the bad video games mentioned in the fic also fall underneath the owner privileges.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Vanquishing the horrible nightmare

[Interlude BGM: Theme of Nebula (Mega Man Battle Network 5: Double Team DS)]

Meanwhile, at the center of Video Game Nightmare, Crasher and Blaster were boiling mad because their ambush, let alone their unlikely army of bad video game manifestations, was completely foiled by a group of heroic children and not a grown man such as Wario. The moment 9-Volt, Phoebe, Cheerful White, Cute Pink, Kat, and Ana finally arrived at the lair (and recovered from having performed their tag-team hip drop to destroy the attack ship), the undead villains took a moment to glare at them.

"Hrrmmm..." Crasher began, "as much as I hate saying this, we proudly yet _angrily_ commend your efforts in countering our ambushes we've pitted against the likes of you. We never expected you'd be capable of some video game knowledge, even at your young ages."

"But what do you know about the main source of Zemus's hatred?" added Blaster. "Do you know who Zeromus is? As a matter of fact, do you also know who the Lunarians are, given that Zemus was one of them?"

The heroic children, on the other hand, were not as stupid as Crasher and Blaster claimed. 9-Volt and Phoebe already knew of the Lunarians from both the king of Video Game Dream, and having played _Final Fantasy IV_ (or _Final Fantasy II_, in terms of the SNES), and eventually told White, Pink, Kat, and Ana about it during their quest to get into Video Game Nightmare. The Lunarians were a peaceful, yet advanced race of Moon inhabitants. They had their reasons for believing that the human race was not yet ready to co-exist with them, but Zemus thought otherwise and could not wait to exist on Earth, even if it meant summoning the dreaded Giant of Babil to kill off mankind. Fortunately, Cecil and his allies flew into the mechanical monstrosity through Cid's airship and destroyed its CPU, thus taking out the entire machine before the damage could become excessive beyond all repair.

"Well...no concern of ours! Yes, Zemus did die and yet lived on as Zeromus...and Cecil and his friends vanquished him with the aid of a Crystal and the prayers of their supporters from Earth." Crasher paused momentarily, before continuing, "But, as long as hatred exists in the hearts of your kind, Zeromus will never disappear! Eventually, Blaster and I came to life at some point as the last pieces of Zeromus, but due to our weakened state, we had to assume these forms you see, until we would harness enough power from across the universe to regain ourselves. To do that, however, we bribed a gang of space pirates with monetary wealth into joining our cause."

Blaster then said, "All would have been successful, had it not been for that callous, self-conceited pest, Wario! He, who single-handedly blew up our escape craft at the airport in Diamond City and killed us off! Since then, we were forced back into our spiritual forms, and yet we could use what little power we had left to resemble your two friends, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, in a twisted way. But now that you're here, these forms are of no more use. You wanna know why? Because these aren't our real bodies. Nothing personal, but since Wario took our lives, we'll be taking yours in return! We'll not be as kind as before!"

[End BGM]  
[Boss BGM: Dark Meta Knight Battle (Kirby and the Amazing Mirror)]

With that said, Crasher and Blaster transformed their undead bodies into the manifestations of Zemus, which 9-Volt and Phoebe recognized from the actual RPG classic as Zemus's Breath and Mind. The "Breath" would scan its foes until they use magic attacks, in which it would in return counter with Break as a means of turning them to stone. The "Mind", on the other hand, had ridiculously high defense to a point in which all physical attacks could barely even do much damage to it.

"How are we gonna destroy that Mind form if we don't even have any magic spells?" asked 9-Volt. "And I'm too young to know how to use summon magic!"

But Blaster - in the form of Zemus's Mind - taunted 9-Volt in response. "You, destroy this form in the quickest time possible? Oh, that's rich!"

Crasher joined in, "Ehh. These abilities of ours, like you and your girlfriend recalled, bore us. Okay then, how about a game of _Dead Man's Volley_?"

The young heroes gasped. "That sounds like something we'd come across in a Zelda game," said Phoebe, "but I sure as heck don't recall your forms having that kind of attack!"

"As the old saying goes," said Blaster, "there's a first time in everything! DIE!"

9-Volt quickly shot at Crasher (in the form of Zemus's Breath) with laser beams from his NES Zapper, dealing some damage. Then Blaster counterattacked by unleashing an energy burst at the child. Kat and Ana jumped in front of 9-Volt to deflect the ball of energy with their katanas, but Crasher batted it right back with his fist. The young heroes imagined having swords in their hands so they could assist Kat and Ana. Sooner or later, Blaster faltered and became paralyzed by his own beam, lowering his defense. He quickly shook off the pain and flew back into action, angrier than before.

"You insolent WORMS!" yelled Blaster. "We'll kill you for that!"

"Let's see how you handle deflecting _two_ volleys simultaneously!" With that said, Crasher unleashed an energy ball of his own in conjunction with Blaster's. "Or better yet, how about _all six of them_ at once?!"

The opposing factions began tearing at each other by batting all six energy bursts around. 9-Volt's team focused hard, knowing that this wasn't a video game they're playing since Crasher and Blaster meant business. After about ten successful deflections on their part, they managed to destroy Crasher and Blaster's "Breath" and "Mind" forms.

"No...NOOO!" cursed Crasher.

"This...shouldn't be happening...to us!" grunted Blaster.

[End BGM]

* * *

With a sudden burst of energy emanating from Crasher and Blaster's injured forms, they were gone, along with the manifestations of all the bad video games that were banished here. Phoebe's father was set free, and by expressing his gratitude, he teleported himself and 9-Volt's group out of Video Game Nightmare and back outside at the forbidden cave. But just before they could seal the entrance once more, two Wallmasters appeared out of nowhere and grabbed 9-Volt and Phoebe, dragging them back into the underworld!

After being dropped back into the dark lair, Crasher and Blaster's faces appeared before 9-Volt and Phoebe. It came to them that the undead villains feigned defeat to trick them and their friends into thinking they won.

"Awww...how cold of you to leave us all alone!" Crasher snickered.

"Still, that was a valiant effort you pulled on us," said Blaster. "Really, most entertaining!"

"Why are you doing this to me and Phoebe?" cried 9-Volt. "What did we ever do to you?!"

"You, 9-Volt," answered Crasher, "were born...and not just as a descendant of Rydia."

"And you, Phoebe," added Blaster, "thinking you're capable of protecting him as his so-called 'bodyguard' when you're destined as just another damsel-in-distress like all the other princesses!"

Phoebe growled at that remark. "If only you monsters knew how sick I am of being called that! I can hold my ground, and give 9-Volt courage while protecting him, so that we'd stick together and face the bad along with the good!"

[Final battle BGM: VS Ganon! (The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages)]

"Hmph!" retorted Blaster. "I hoped we'd avoid revealing these _true_ vile shapes to you earthly bipeds...but you're just about to find out exactly why we hate losing to bratty kids like you in a fight!"

"9-Volt! Phoebe!" Crasher barked. "It's now your turn to taste despair and the fear of death! Well, you'll probably be going to heaven since you're still innocent children, but that's beside the point! This time, you DIE by our hands for real! Go ahead, keep telling yourselves it's only a nightmare!"

Focusing deeply on all the dark power they had left, Crasher and Blaster assumed the forms of Dark Bahamut, an evil version of the God of Eidolons; and Ogopogo, a dark resemblance of Leviathan, the benevolent ruler of Feymarch. Crasher began by unleashing a devastating Megaflare, which 9-Volt and Phoebe barely avoided at the last second, thus destroying more of Video Game Nightmare's lair instead. Blaster, on the other hand, cast Tidal Wave twice in a row, inflicting water-based damage on 9-Volt and Phoebe. Then he summoned a deadly tsunami in an effort to drown them forever, but they were quick to super-jump their way out of a possible watery grave.

"Dammit!" cursed Blaster, lunging forth at the youngsters. "Hold STILL!"

9-Volt and Phoebe side-jumped the fangs, and counterattacked with 9-Volt's NES Zapper. Phoebe, on the other hand, imagined herself with a Super Scope, thus bringing it into the fray. She immediately fired a barrage of bowling balls from her Super Scope to inflict explosive damage on Crasher and Blaster. The rate of fire wasn't as quick as the laser shots from the NES Zapper, but the attack power was approximately twice as strong.

"You two are seriously starting to annoy us!" sneered Crasher, flapping his dragon-like wings for a gust of wind. It merely blew 9-Volt and Phoebe across the lair into a wall, giving Blaster the opportunity to follow up with dual-casting Tidal Wave, ending with a big tsunami which eventually rendered the heroes unconscious. In the end, Crasher brandished his sharp claws while 9-Volt and Phoebe were down, stepping closer for the kill.

"And now that your turn is over...it's time to end this charade once and for all! Now kiss your asses goodbye!" With that, Crasher charged up another Megaflare, this time, certain that it wouldn't miss.

"First, your lives," bragged Blaster, "then your four other friends'...and eventually, Wario's life as punishment for killing us and our Contra Terror gang!"

9-Volt and Phoebe shut their eyes and hugged each other tightly, accepting defeat. Just then, a roar sounded from out of nowhere. Another winged dragon appeared, albeit in a lighter form compared to Crasher's vile shape. The benevolent dragon charged up his Megaflare, and blew it out just as Crasher did. Miraculously, its Megaflare was stronger than his, and thus pierced its way through to incinerate him and Blaster.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" screamed Crasher. "It's not possible!"

"That child wasn't supposed to summon _him _yet!" Blaster cried out. "THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!"

With a pair of deafening death screams, Crasher and Blaster's monstrous bodies disintegrated into nothingness. As soon as the Megaflare cleared, they were never seen nor heard from again. They, the last remnants of Zeromus, were finally gone for good.

[End BGM]

* * *

[Relief BGM: Prelude - Title Theme (Final Fantasy II/IV)]

9-Volt and Phoebe opened their eyes to see the dragon that stood before them. They could now tell it was the Hallowed Father to all Eidolons: the legendary Bahamut, who had come to their rescue.

"Greetings, young descendant of Rydia..." Bahamut began, "my name is Bahamut, the benevolent God of Eidolons."

"Huh?" asked 9-Volt. "But...but I'm not even old enough to..."

"Do not worry. Even though I watch over the Eidolons that exist on your planet this day, I made a promise with Rydia that I would do the same for her, her friends, and their own descendants. I felt an enormous amount of dark power emanating from here, the same which Zeromus wielded prior to his eventual defeat many centuries ago. I had to act on my own volition without awaiting a summoner's call, to rescue you and your companion from certain death."

"So that means...we're safe, right? And Crasher and Blaster are gone forever, now that they've died twice?"

"Yes...but do not forget that as long as hatred exists, evil will not cease to conquer for their own vile desires. The one called Red Falcon, despite his recent defeat, is still alive on your planet. Though it is fortunate he does not know anything about Zeromus nor his fate, he will stop at nothing to rule the Earth as a stepping stone towards universal dominion."

"But we're nowhere near powerful enough to face him and his alien henchmen," said Phoebe.

"The Four Contras, named Aaron, Ami, Bill Rizer, and Lance Bean, are the only ones so far with the strength to defeat Red Falcon's forces. Someday, when the two of you are older, you might be able to aid them in any way you can. But for right now, you should focus on living your lives as normal human children. Be thankful your friends - the Contras - still live to preserve peace across the Earth. When the time comes, young 9-Volt, you will gain the ability to summon me, Leviathan, and Asura for help against evil at anytime. You are too young, but do not feel too discouraged. You and your companion, Princess Phoebe, will understand someday. I will return you now to the surface of this world. Fare thee well..."

With a benevolent roar, Bahamut stretched out his wings, and teleported 9-Volt and Phoebe out of Video Game Nightmare before departing for the Lunarians' moon, known as the "Red Moon", to the Lair of the Father where he resides with his disciples.

As for the two heroes, they knew it would be a long time before they'd understand their destiny to aid the Four Contras in the battle against the Red Falcon Empire, but they merely chose to fulfill one other destiny: living their normal lives alongside Kat, Ana, Cheerful White, and even Cute Pink while they're still kids.

[End BGM]

TO BE CONTINUED...

* * *

The nightmare has been vanquished, and peace returns to Video Game Dream. See you in the conclusion of DCC #3!


	7. Back to the real world

As the conclusion unfolds, peace returns to Video Game Dream, thanks to 9-Volt and Phoebe's brave efforts.

**DISCLAIMER: WarioWare Inc. is a property of Nintendo, whereas Final Fantasy belongs to Square-Enix. Any other characters from different franchises (although some, if not all, aren't directly involved with this story's plot at hand) are properties of their respective owners. For example, while I own my fan characters, Arctic Bomber and Blaze Bomber, Hudson Soft (and yes, Konami) still owns Bomberman. Any songs "used" for the following situation(s) at hand belong to Nintendo, Konami, Capcom, etc. And yes, even the bad video games mentioned in the fic also fall underneath the owner privileges.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Back to the real world

Outside the now-resealed forbidden cavern, four of 9-Volt's friends were worried that he and Phoebe might not have survived the surprise attack.

"Kat," said Ana, "do you think 9-Volt's..."

"I'm sure he and Phoebe pulled through," assured Kat.

Cheerful White spoke up next, "I dunno what we'll do without our close friend. Pink and I always loved testing his Nintendo-themed microgames before the following WarioWare games were released worldwide...Well, 18-Volt did work with him on some of them ever since he came along in the early days of _WarioWare: Twisted__!_ on Game Boy Advance..."

Cute Pink hugged him affectionately. "I know, White...I know."

Just then, the king of Video Game Dream noticed something different. "My people...they're returning to their normal selves! Look, my friends! 9-Volt and Phoebe did it!"

"What?" White became startled. "What happened?"

"They've truly saved my fair kingdom by destroying those two black-hearted villains for good! They survived!" The king paused as he saw 9-Volt and Phoebe reappear just outside the cavern. "Oh! Thank Mihaele you're both alive!"

"Mihaele?" asked Kat. "Who's that?"

"She's the goddess of the cosmos," said White, "in which we live in...or, so the legend on planet Bomber goes."

"Ooooh..." said Kat and Ana in unison, albeit surprised.

"Yes, it is a long story," added Phoebe's father. "You could say it's because she is only mentioned in _Bomberman 64: The Second Attack!_ on Nintendo 64."

* * *

[Victory BGM: Ending (Super Mario Advance)]

After the reunion, everyone headed back to the king's palace, where they were each given a medal for their bravery. Of course, since it's still a dream, neither one would be wearing said medals in reality. Kat, Ana, White, and Pink, having done their part in aiding 9-Volt and Phoebe, bid them farewell.

"I guess this is goodbye for now," said Ana. "but we'll see you in our world when day breaks."

"Bye, 9-Volt!" waved Kat. "Bye, Phoebe!"

"Thanks for everything!" beamed White.

"White and I will see you around, sweetie," said Pink, hugging 9-Volt. "Don't forget to check out some new games like _Dr. Mario Online Rx_ or _Bomberman Blast_ when Nintendo starts their WiiWare service!"

9-Volt beamed happily. "Hooray! I'll let 18-Volt and the others know about it. There's also gonna be _Mario Kart Wii_ and _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_ on the Wii before the end of June as well. Bye now!"

Henceforth, 9-Volt's four friends vanished into thin air as they walked out of the palace. It was just him, Phoebe, and the king now. Then he began to walk out, but not before walking back to the throne room.

"Um...Your Majesty?" asked 9-Volt. "Do you think that...maybe Phoebe can visit me in the real world, since she's real and all? I mean, I've been best friends with her ever since I was 5 years old. But, if you're worried about her safety and wish her to stay here, I guess I'll understand..."

The benevolent king smiled warmly. "Young 9-Volt, you and my daughter have done so much tonight to vanquish the evil Crasher and Blaster. I, too, felt Bahamut's presence."

Phoebe gasped. "You did? Even when we were trapped in Video Game Nightmare?"

"Yes, my dear child. I am just...just grateful that he saved you and 9-Volt from the brink of death."

"I'm glad, too. But before he teleported us back to the surface, he told us to live our lives as normal kids while we're still young. Maybe I can live in Diamond City with 9-Volt or something, and from there, we'd both get to know more of the real world together." Then the princess turned to 9-Volt. "What do you think, sweetie?"

"That'd be great!" But 9-Volt's smile quickly vanished. "But...I dunno what my mom or my friends would think. Plus, I gotta wake up in the morning soon."

The king closed his eyes momentarily, and glanced back at 9-Volt. "I'll see what I can do. If the Hallowed Father of all Eidolons says you and Phoebe should live your normal lives, then I shall honor his wish. If either of you wish to come back here for a visit, you're more than welcome to do so the next time you dream."

"Okay. Well, I guess I'll see you again soon, Phoebe."

"You too, 9-Volt." Phoebe kissed his cheek.

[End BGM]

* * *

9-Volt's dream adventure had come to an end, as the king cast a spell to return him to his home. As expected, he was no longer wearing his medal nor did he wield the NES Zapper anymore. The morning sun had come, and the alarm clock in 9-Volt's room rang at 9:00 AM. He woke up with a yawn, only for his mother to step inside.

"Good morning, sunshine," said 5-Volt. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yeah..." answered 9-Volt, "but you'll never believe what I had been through in my dream."

He told his mom everything he experienced tonight in Video Game Dream, including the legend that truly traced his family's bloodline. But for right now, he admitted she was right to keep it a secret by passing it off as a fairy tale based on the RPG classic itself. Then they put the story about being descended from Rydia behind themselves as they headed towards the kitchen for some breakfast. However, as soon as 9-Volt ate a bowl of cereal, he heard a doorbell ringing. He wondered if it was Phoebe at the door, but he let 5-Volt accompany him knowing not to open the door for strangers on his own. Upon answering the door, it really was Phoebe. In fact, 9-Volt and his mother were indeed surprised that her house from Video Game Dream (the very same house with a four-lane bowling alley for a basement) also showed up right next to theirs! The benevolent king had indeed granted his wish with the aid of the goddess Mihaele's power. Phoebe no longer wore her princess dress, but rather a female version of 9-Volt's traditional outfit (minus his helmet). She wore a minty-green shirt, along with a pair of gloves and boots in matching colors, and a long crimson skirt. Her shirt, instead of bearing a "V" sign like on 9-Volt's shirt, had the famed Nintendo 64 logo embedded on it.

[Ending BGM: Congratulations! (Super Mario Kart)]

"Hi, 9-Volt!" greeted Phoebe, hugging 9-Volt tightly.

5-Volt was surprised at what she just saw. "9-Volt...is this the girl you've been dreaming about occasionally?"

"Yeah, mom!" beamed 9-Volt. "Only that she was actually real to begin with. She's great at bowling and playing a piano, and is awesome at _Bomberman_!"

"That's nice to hear." 5-Volt glanced over to Phoebe. "And thank you, Phoebe, for always looking after him whenever he dreamed at bedtime. Welcome to Diamond City...and our neighborhood."

Phoebe giggled happily. "Always a pleasure to keep him safe and sound, while giving him courage at the same time. Not to mention free bowling lessons, but still."

With their introductions out of the way, 9-Volt and Phoebe went for a ride on his hi-tech skateboard towards WarioWare Inc., intent on introducing her to the rest of the crew along with the Four Contras (not to mention Blaze Bomber, the honorary Contra). Upon mentioning Crasher and Blaster's fate, Wario was surprised to hear that they were alive even when he really killed them in the explosion at the airport's runway. Either way, he was relieved that at least this time, the whole population of the city would see the last of them. And with that, he made a promise that as long as he remains President of WarioWare Inc., he would never secretly mistreat his fellow employees ever since 9-Volt and Phoebe expressed their friendship and bravery.

THE END

(Ending Credits)  
9-Volt - TARA STRONG  
Phoebe - HYNDEN WALCH  
Kat - GREY DELISLE  
Ana - TARA STRONG  
Cheerful White - TARA STRONG  
Cute Pink - JANICE KAWAYE  
5-Volt - GREY DELISLE  
Crasher - CHRISTOPHER SABAT  
Blaster - MIKE JUDGE  
King of Video Game Dream - TOM KANE  
Bahamut - PETER CULLEN

[End BGM]  
[End Credits]

* * *

That's pretty much it for DCC #3: 9-Volt and Phoebe's Dream Adventure. I hope you enjoyed it, and see ya later! Reviews are appreciated as always.


End file.
